FS 2nd gear pop out fix DIY - Cheap Insurance

Hey there everyone, Well as we have been including this part in our rebuilds for some time now, I thought that we should share this very simple fix with everyone. As many of you already know, several of the Porsche gearboxes will occasionally experience a '2nd gear pop out issue.' There are a couple of ways to address this issue. But this one is the easiest, and by far the least expensive option for the DIY guy or gal. Now this part will not fix a pop out problem if there is already damage internal to the gearbox, but it will certainly help prevent it. In all of our rebuilds here, we have yet to see a 'pop-out' problem return after the installation of this part. Installation is relatively simple and can be completed with the gearbox still installed in your car. Price on this is $69.11, (had to add the .11 cents for obvious reasons, LOL) Even if you have never experienced this issue, this part is cheap insurance to ensure that you have done everything you can to keep it from popping up in the future. Let me know if you would like one of these sent out to you. We are putting together an instruction sheet today with pics, and will post this on our website later this week, so that you have a step by step guide to help you get this installed. Warmest Regards, Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell www.gboxweb.com

Would this work with a SSK? If so, I am interested...

I thought the pop-out was related to the 2nd gear synchro, is it just something with the shifter?

Can you please explain where the part goes and why and how it works

Hey Arron (Medtech) too bad you sold you car, otherwise you could have put this on..... oh wait.... I just remembered, your car had a Tip tranny..... never mind! OK, it's Monday! I'm just trying to liven up RL a little.

Erik, That is interesting. Will that also work on the 997 trannys? I don't recall any major changes between the 996 and 997 manual transmissions.

Great Questions everyone, I will try to answer as best as I can to give a bit more information on this. The deal here is that yes, the issue is the engagement of the 2nd gear dog ring to the operating sleeve that runs between 1st and 2nd. This part is the detent that controls the amount of engagement allowed by the operating sleeve. The problem here is that the stock piece is not quite in spec, and does not allow for full engagement. We have reworked this part and taken care of the issue. Again what you are basically changing out here is the shift detent. Installation of this part, depending on your access, should not take long at all. In reference to if you can use this with a short shift kit - ABSOLUTELY... This is not a problem. Will this work on 997 gearboxes, Yes and No. It depends on which gearbox we are speaking about here. If you are asking about a 997 street car, then NO, this will not work. However if you are asking about the 997 GT2/GT3 then yes it will work. Please let me know if you have any additional questions on this, or if I have not explained this in enough detail. Warmest Regards, and happy to help. Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell www.gboxweb.com

Oh this would also include the TT gearboxes, YES this fix will work for them as well.

Okay so don't laugh too hard in regard to my picture taking ability, I was in a bit of hurry to get this out on the boards here, some of the pics are a bit out of focus but you will be able to see what I mean here. Step #1 remove the bolt that prevents the detent cover from coming completely out. This will be a 13mm bolt in 996 street cars, and an allen key in the GT2/GT3 gearboxes. This is a 6mm allen key. Step #2 remove the detent cover which is an 8mm allen key. Step #3 use a strong magnet to remove the spring and detent from the detent holder. (hint if you move the shifter around a bit it will help this release easier) Step #4 change out the detent with the new part that I have sent you. You can use the same spring that came out of the gearbox. Step #5 here is the tricky part. Looking from the side of the gearbox you put the new detent in so that the pinned part that holds the internal wheel, is 90 degrees from the side of the gearbox. ie It points to the side of the car. This is important because the wheel on the detent engages a plate internally, this is not too tough though and can be felt as the new detent is installed and pushed into place. Step #6 drop in spring, this step can be combined for easier installation with step #5 Step #7 reinstall the detent cover and transmission bolt. End of job. How does this work? Well, me have made a modification to the OEM part that gives this new detent the ability to allow for more engagement all of the gears. This detent controls the forward and aft motions of the gearing changes. Here are some pics to help with visualizing the replacement. I hope that this information has been helpful. Warmest Regards, Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell www.gboxweb.com

cool, how long has this been around?

Wish I would have seen this mod 10 days ago.

Very nice...my box feels fine but the thought of the second gear pop out has always concerned me. Can you post a pic of the old part and the new part together?

Redridge - We have been adding this part to our rebuilds for some time, but thought that we would share it with everyone here to help prevent the problem from starting. Jasper - I can think of a couple of reasons as to why you might like to see the old part next to the new, but in fairness to us here, I have to ask, if I post what the actual changes are that we make, where is the incentive to purchase the part from me? I think for the moment that we are going to pass on sharing that information. Sorry about that, I hope that does not make me a bad guy here. Thanks for the questions, as well as the orders. We truly appreciate it. Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell www.gboxweb.com

I have a backup tranny just in case, but good idea and can save problems. I assume that it is a stronger part that goes back in the same way the original does? I would like to see old vs new part side by side also for may own verification. If someone wanted to copy your part what would keep them from buying one and reproducing? Business decisions are just that ... but being first adds loyalty. Just a thought.

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Your back should be good now..so BACK under you GO...

I just ordered mine...I'll report on how it goes. Anyone know where I can get some Swepco 210 gear-oil in the Seattle area?

@Xeattle: please let us know how it goes. I checked with my local Indy shop who hadn't heard of the problem or the mod (which may not be surprising), I would have my Indy perform the install but would like to hear a few successes first.

For those who ordered this part. All have been shipped and you should see it shortly. We thank you, and please let me know if I can be of more help in the future. Warmest Regards, Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell

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I just received mine last night so I'm going to work on installing it after work...I'll post up tomorrow with some YouTube and pics...

@Xeattle: Thanks, hope it goes smoothly.

I've posted up some info on the passenger side location. I'm going to try and get the bolts removed tonight and replace the pin but I may need to get the 996 a little higher in the air...and damn the garage floor is cold. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrX2s3RCu6M

I was not aware that this can be done without removal of the engine or transmission....

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its not done yet

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Thx, keep um coming!

Thank you for posting this. Were you able to access this area in the garage?

Well, I hope his not responding is because he's pinned under the car!! Xeattle, you still alive???

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Yes, I'm still here. I'm working on a new solution to work in my garage which I should have in place this Saturday... I'll update this weekend.

Weekends over! Whats up?

Is it still stuck in second gear?

Did anyone do a successful instalation of this part?

I have been curious about that myself, I know several have gotten this part from us and said they were going to install it soon, but I have not seen anyone actually post much. Is this part harder to access then I originally thought? Looking forward to hearing. Erik Johnson

Guys - I'm thinking about ordering this and having my Indy shop install it next month, but my shop owner has never heard of the problem and so, I have to admit I'll a little hesitant. I've had the car pop out of second gear immediately on shifting from first to second, maybe a total of 4-5 times in 18 months of ownership. Its mainly a weekend only car so that's in about 4000 miles of driving and a lot of short trips around town. I've noticed that the pop outs have occurred if I get lazy and keep my hand on the gearshift after shifting down into second. I suspect I inadvertently applied a small amount of upward force on the gearshift when I did this and that resulted in the poor engagement. Now that I'm more conscious of it, it hasn't happened in a few months. I know I'm only looking at ~$200 for the part plus install labor (DIY not an option - no garage, other issues). But I'm not convinced its "broke enough" to warrant a fix. Am I right in thinking if this were a significant issue Porsche would have issued a recall, or is it not bad enough but still worth the fix? I'd appreciate advice from those of your more experienced in our cars and transmissions than me. The Targa is going in for an alignment and new tires in about a month so I should decide fairly soon. Erik - do you have more in stock that you can ship out if I decide to green light? Thanks gang, Lawrence

I'm still waiting for someone to post up about this supposed fix. Can somebody give a description of the job and the results? Thx.

Hey there Lawrence, I have several of these in stock, so no worries on that. I can certainly understand the hesitance in getting a part that you are not sure you need. I can tell you that if you have ever experienced the issue, of 'pop-out' it is only going to get worse as time goes on. I too am a bit surprised that no one has posted success or failure with regard to the installation of this part. I must admit that we have always installed this part with the gearbox already taken out of the car, but did here from several shops that they were able to get this installed without removal of the gearbox. Obviously, it would be a far simpler job if you have a lift available. Let me know if I can help anyone with this. We have the instructions on our website now if anyone needs them. Warmest Regards, Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell www.gboxweb.com

I'm disappointed that the video previously posted didn't do a follow-up about the installation. It seems like an easy fix for a potential problem. Anyone???

Erik, Why don't you try it with the gearbox in? Just a thought. You could then give first hand advice.

What I've noticed is that I need to clear all the dirt off the top of the transmission before I remove the detent cover. There is very little clearance with the transmission installed so it's hard to vertically peer down and work with this part. My vertical pen magnet that would work perfectly with the transmission removed is useless with the transmission installed so I'm looking for a flexible magnet I can use. This is problem #2 for me. My first step is to really clean all the road grime and dirt off that top of the transmission so I don't contaminate my transmission with dirt. I haven't been able to get this done yet so there's a delay. As you can see from my photo it's a mess up there. With the transmission out and squeaky clean this is not an issue. I'm not going to get in a hurry installing this...my cars a daily driver so I've got to plan my wrenching.

Hey there Porscheguy, While we do rebuild a ton of Porsche gearboxes every week, we very rarely do these gearboxes with the car in house. We usually have the gearboxes sent to up for rebuild, and do not really get into the R&R. As such, while I do think that would be the easiest way to show everyone, we simply do not have a car here in shop to take a video of this process. Warmest Regards, Erik Johnson GBox Performance Transaxles [phone removed] work [phone removed] cell

Reviving this for anyone else that takes on the replacement of the detent project while the transmission is in the car. A few tips: 1) Put the car in second gear so that the shift lever (that the shift cables connect to) on the side of the transmission is out of the way. The area you are working in is just fore and a bit above the lever. 2) The bolt that needs to be removed and the "cover" that holds the detent in are both visible from inside the rear passenger side wheel well. Also, I used a 10mm socket, a 6 inch and a 10 inch extension (all 3/8). I suspect that the project would be easier with 1/4" extensions/socket but 3/8th" worked. I did not use a universal joint. A trick I came across was to put the socket on the 6" extension and then from inside the wheel well, position the 6" extension and socket onto the bolt. Then, go under the car and (from the front of the transmission) put the 10" extension onto the 6" extension. Then I put a standard socket wrench onto the end of the 10" (without using a universal joint). I was then able to break the bolt loose and undo it all the way out. 3) make sure you have both a full-size 8mm hex wrench and a "stubby" 8mm hex wrench. I used the full-size wrench to break the cover loose. The stubby was needed to then undo the cover (as the clearance got smaller as the cover bolt came out). I'm half way through this but wanted to document it.